"This is what you play for all year," Backman said. "The guys are really excited right now. It's an exciting time of year."

He and the Sound Tigers, division champions for the first time in a decade, face the Connecticut Whale on Thursday and Saturday in Bridgeport in the first two games of a best-of-5 series.

"We're just trying to focus on playing our game right now," Backman said, "keep playing how we've played all year. We're a hard-working team. We have to have our lunchpail, have our work boots on."

That work ethic has made Backman an integral part of the Sound Tigers, coach Brent Thompson said.

"To his credit, he embraced the role we gave him," Thompson said.

Backman scored over a point a game in four years at Yale, but he has made his mark as a defensive, energy forward in Bridgeport.

"I think of the details in his game that have taken him to the next level," Thompson said. "Early in the year, he was a little (on the) perimeter. Not that he was cutting corners; he's always one of the hardest-working guys. Now he's focusing on the details ... winning wall battles, willingness to block shots."

Backman has become a regular on Bridgeport's penalty kill, where those attributes come into play every shift.

"Now, being a big part of that, I'm taking a lot of pride in that," Backman said. "A lot of people take that for granted."

His family -- including his father, Mike, who played for the New York Rangers and New Haven Nighthawks -- will be in attendance Thursday when he plays his first playoff game here; he played in six last year for the Texas Stars.

"It's exciting to play in front of them," Backman said. "I'm looking forward to it."